Typically, doors constructed of steel or fiberglass comprise two molded door skins forming the front and back surfaces of the door. The door skins are joined together and filled with an expanding foam core which provides insulation, e.g., thermal and sound, and increases structural integrity. Reinforcing and mounting strips, made typically of wood, are sometimes used to provide additional structural and internal integrity when needed.
Each door skin generally has rolled edges to define a perimeter edge used to secure the door skins together when assembled. The door skins are aligned and positioned within a press which forces the perimeter edges together and locks them in place. After the door skins are secured together, synthetic insulation foam is injected between the skins filling the cavity formed therebetween.
For example, contemporary metallic doors are constructed of thin metallic door skins that form the exterior of the door. Door skins are formed from hot dipped galvanized deep drawn steel that is stamped into a desired door shape. The door skins form the exterior of the door and can be joined at the perimeter of the skins by flanges, as previously described, or the door skins can be joined to a frame, e.g., a wood frame, between the skins. Subsequently, a foam core is used to fill the internal cavity left between the door skins, as described supra.
If the door is intended to have a window opening, commonly known to those of ordinary skill in the art as a door light, an additional fabrication step is required. The opening must be cut out to remove the respective door skin areas, and includes the foam core therebetween. The cut out, including both the metal skins and foam, subsequently becomes a waste product that must be disposed of as there is no further use that can be made of the cut out. In fact, waste products of this type are typically considered hazardous waste due to the presence of the foam, and therefore, special waste disposal considerations must be taken into account.
Although the finished door does not include the above described waste material, the finished door cost does include the cost of these materials. Thus, end users must pay more for a door having less material, i.e., after the window opening is formed. In some instances, manufacturers of finished doors cut the window opening in their facility as opposed to having the raw door manufacturer perform this operation. Thus, an uncut door which includes all the additional waste material must be shipped to the finishing manufacturer. The uncut doors weigh more than cut doors and therefore shipping costs are also increased thereby raising the final cost to an end user.
As can be derived from the variety of devices and methods directed at forming doors and in particular forming doors having a light, many means have been contemplated to accomplish the desired end, i.e., constructing a low cost, high quality door with at least one light. Heretofore, tradeoffs between material waste generated during manufacture and cost were required. Thus, there is a long-felt need for a door constructed from door skins having a door light perimeter defined therein prior to filling the door with insulating foam. There is a further long-felt need for a door having a door light and a reduced overall weight. There is also a long-felt need for a door having a door light which generates a reduced amount of waste during assembly. There is yet also a long-felt need for a door having a door light which generates recyclable waste during assembly.